344 An Inheritance Issue 3

Aarav witnessed Vexa's sudden appearance without a single switch in stride. All he did was look at the smoking, dimmed end of his cigarette with an annoyed face before lighting it again with his finger lighter.

"Alright, so who is this?" said Aarav.

Vexa materialized behind Aldrich - but in front of Valera - in a swirl of visible, cyan tinted winds. Her imperial robes flowed about her like a gentle breeze.

"You must be a man of some power," said Vexa, looking Aarav's calm, seated figure up and down.

"Oh? And how can you tell?" said Aarav.

"Your mannerisms. Stiff. Not in the way a scared retainer is before their lord, but rather the reverse: the stiffness of one who is used to lording. And that, in spite of the relaxed air you try to give, perhaps in a guise to relate with your underlings."

"We've got a mind reader here, do we?" Aarav blew out a curl of smoke, unphased that he had been read so easily.